JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Icemen and the city of Jacksonville on Wednesday announced the schedule for the 2022 ECHL All-Star Game.
The contest, which will include the Icemen taking on ECHL all-stars from around the league, was supposed to be in Jacksonville earlier this year. However, the league and the team moved it back a year because of the pandemic.
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The all-star weekend will include a fan fest held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Jan. 16. It will be from 2-8 p.m. The following day, the ECHL will hold a Hall of Fame banquet at the DoubleTree Jacksonville Riverfront. Icemen President Bob Ohrablo says the league will vote on the class in the next couple of weeks. It will then announce who will be inducted in the first week of the new year.
The 2022 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic will then drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The Icemen are working on selling the game out. Ohrablo tells News4JAX the team will sell the lower bowl for the game, which seats 8,400. He added that the team has had four separate sellouts this season including its annual teddy bear toss. Heading into Wednesday night’s games, Jacksonville is third in the 27-team league for average attendance. The team is boasting more than 5,700 fans on average through 10 home games.
Mayor Lenny Curry said the team has built a staple in Jacksonville. He added it is not just about the product the team has on the ice, but the strategic plan to get the name and brand out there as well. He said this event demonstrates Jacksonville is on the map within the hockey community.
The 2022 All-Star game will be seen nationwide while airing on the NHL Network and on FLO Sports.
Curry also announced a corporate ticket package the team is offering with a portion of the proceeds going back to the Kids Hope Alliance program. It is a nonprofit organization that invests annually in children’s and youth programs in Duval County. Volunteers work on ensuring kids reach their academic, career and civic potential.
The City of Jacksonville is expected to fill more than 250 hotels during the two-day festivities.
Ohrablo added there will be more announcements coming in the next few weeks regarding the details behind the Fan Fest and game.